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Across Asia, whale sharks are no longer hunted but are becoming a major eco-tourism drawcard.

A little over a decade ago, these enormous grey giants of the sea with their distinctive pale yellow spotted backs and fins were hunted by local fishermen for their soft, white flesh. Around Southeast Asia, the whale shark was often referred to as 'tofu shark'.

Weighing up to 30 tons and often the length of a school bus, the whale shark is no longer hunted but has become a major draw for eco-tourists from all over the world.
In Donsol, 600 kilometres southeast of Manila, fishermen who once hunted the whale shark have become their biggest protectors and have turned this sleepy backwater into a major eco-tourism center taking tourists out to swim with the world's biggest fish.

Mary Ann Colle, who works with the regional tourism office, explains that the whale shark has put Donsol on the world eco-tourism map, stating "there are only a few areas in the world where you can swim with the whale sharks and Donsol is one of them.

"It has been only over the last 10 years or so that local environmentalists have managed to convince the fishermen that they can make money protecting the whale shark.

"They know that once the (whale sharks) have been fished out, they would be gone for ever and would not come back. But by protecting them, tourists would come just for the experience of swimming near them. Not only do you guarantee future work but you build an industry that is sustainable. Fishing is not sustainable."

Colle says last year saw 25,000 tourists come from all over the world to visit Donsol - a significant increase from the few hundred that visited the area in 2000. Donsol is not alone when it comes to eco-tourism. Right across Asia, local communities are embracing eco-tourism.

In Cambodia the head of the Chambok commune in Kampong Speu, Touch Morn, says not only is eco-tourism good for the environment, "it is good for business".

The popular Chambok eco-tourism site was started by local environmentalists in 2001 in an attempt to address the issues of deforestation and community livelihoods for villagers who depend on the forests to produce charcoal to make a living.

Morn states "through community education programs, they were shown the benefits of protecting the forests for future generations.

"We run projects providing tour-guide services, oxcart tours, home stays and Khmer restaurant visits. We are trying to get as many villagers as we can to do jobs like this. Before we started on the eco-tourism project, villagers here cut down trees and hunted wildlife."

Touch Morn says more than 2,200 visitors, both foreign and Cambodian, pass through Chambok each month, attracted by the area's lush green forests and exotic wildlife.

In Laos, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia the story is the same.

Stuart Lloyd, senior director with the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), says eco-tourism is still a niche market in Asia but it is growing.

Lloyd told the China Daily Asia Weekly "growth in this sector is almost impossible to measure quantitatively due to the difficulty in accurately defining what exactly eco-tourism covers.

"But qualitatively and anecdotally, there are signs in Asia that green credentials are being asked more of hotels and tour operators, and failure to satisfy can result in lost business.

"The problem is (that) there has been too much focus on economy and economic growth. A green mindset requires a shift in thinking, especially in how we measure success."

Lloyd says research shows that the "conscious" green traveller is prepared to pay a 12-15% premium for an "authentic green experience."

The travel and tourism industry is a key part of most economies, often second only to the financial sector in importance as a contributing sector. It generally contributes 5-10% of national GDP and accounts for one in 12 jobs globally, according to PATA.

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